By Will johnson

AWOOYZ   – CALFULLY

By; Will Johnson

   Whenever we would meet up he would say to me: There are only the two of we.” Meaning, politically him and me.

    And it was largely true. Ever since 1969 the both of us played an important role in the politics of Saba and by extension of the Windward Islands.

    I am writing about the person Ishmael Levenstone born on Saba, July 23^rd 1940 and deceased October 24^th 2019.

    I had known him since we were boys. For a short time he was in the Boys Town on Curacao where I was. , but he did not remain there for any length of time. After I graduated from school on Curacao I started working in different functions in the Courthouse on St. Maarten. At the time the three Dutch Windward Islands functioned as one territory politically. One Senator, for the three islands and an Island Council of fifteen members, and six Commissioners. Five Council Members for each island as the population of each island was quite similar back then. There were two Commissioners on each island. Collectively they functioned for the budget and passing laws which applied to the territory. At the Island level they functioned independently. There was one Lt. Governor for the territory, with an Administrator each on Saba and St. Eustatius .

At the time Captain Mathew Levenston was one of the Commissioners on Saba , and had been in that position since 1951. I have written his story separately. On the occasion of his 80th birthday I made a speech about his life and accomplishments in the Anglican Christ Church in The Bottom. Mathew so liked that speech that when we named the main street in The Bottom in his honor ,  then Commissioner Roy Smith was supposed to make the speech. Mathew was adamant that he wanted the speech of mine to be used.  Roy told him that he could not make my speech for this was something else, and Mathew was not too happy about that. And so when he passed his grandson Dave called me to inform me of his passing and on behalf of the family asked me to do the eulogy, so there he got his wish to hear my speech again.

I recently read someone’s comments on Face book  regarding former politicians “Oh, if the whole story could be told”, as if information was being held back by someone. For my part I do not write the whole story. I write of my personal relationship with people. No one and I repeat NO ONE has written more tributes and eulogies about people black, white and brown of these islands than I have. NO ONE! I don’t write to make money, nor do I want to write the whole story as it is not my intention to talk or to write ill of the dead.

   Ishmael and I had a troubled relationship at the political level. Everyone knows that. And I admit, I was not easy with interviews and in my newspaper the “Saba Herald”. I was not afraid of anyone and that was a well known fact. So I had enough of that and this tribute is not one to open up old wounds. I helped him in a number of ways so that he could get a civil servants pension even though I had fired him. Long story but that is how we related.

    In 1975 Ishmael decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He was elected to the Island Council and served for a total of 20 years as a member of the Island Council. He harassed me as much as he could for his voters, but at the same time he realized that he was up against someone who was not easy to deal with. WE knew each other and who voted for whom. When he came by me for a favor the greeting was always “You old crook, I need you to fix something for so and so.” If it was one of his regular voters I would give them a sweat but eventually did what he wanted as I realized that the person was going to vote for him anyway. But if it was someone from my following, I would call the person in, give them a lecture and told them “I am going to help you this time, but you should know that I have to help you, so remember that.”

   In my book “Dreaming Big” you can find the details of numbers of votes he got in each election and on which party.

   In 1969 when I was running against Claude Wathey for Senator, Ishmael was very helpful to me in going around on St. Maarten and convincing Saba workers on St. Maarten to come out and help me to get the 36 signatures I needed to take part in the election. Although Saba and Sint Eustatius were also part of the district only residents of St. Maarten could endorse the list. And you can imagine what courage it took in 1969 to endorse a list against Claude  Wathey. But I got the required amount of signatures and the fight was on. Unless we supported someone else on our parties Ishmael and I were indeed the only two who could place themselves any number on the party list and still get elected.

   During the years that we did battle politically, I used to enjoy Ishmael’s constant reference to his grandmother Julie or Judy Sorton. It would be Judy said this and said that. Things like how much slack to give a tied goat etc.

In a speech to the Island Council when I was remaining on for another term and he was leaving I quoted several things which I had learned from him (Of course in several elections after that he came back and served again). One of them was how fast time flies when you are in politics. Just after one of the elections the Honorable Vance James Jr. came over from Sint Maarten to have a meeting with me who was his coalition partner. While talking at the airport Ishmael came over. I told Vance “Man don’t bother with Ishmael . I have just beat him and will be in charge for the next four years. “Oh yes, said Ishmael, :”you have no idea how fast four years will pass.” And he was right of course.

   When my nephew Jonathan was proposed for Island Governor, he saw my hand in that and called me for an explanation. I gave him reasons why certain posts in government should be reserved for native Sabans. After reflecting on my point of view he said “Ok. I get you. If Jonathan gets on bad I can phone Guy and complain him, but who can I complain the Dutchman to?”  Jonathan and he were on the best of terms and remained that way.

Such things happen in small Island societies. In the Island Council elections of 1991 on the WIPM party ticket which I led to victory the # 5 candidate on the list was none other than Mr. Ishmael Levenstone and the number 7 candidate was his son Dave Levenstone. Go figure that one out.

   At Ishmaels funeral when I arrived at the church Ronnie Simmons met me at the church door and said “We have a special seat reserved for you”, and with that he took me up to my reserved seat in the front next to the coffin and my son Chris made a tribute at the service and told stories about him and Ishmael working together. What he did not tell and my reason for writing this tribute was the following. I was staying with Chris and his family on St. Maarten and talking from one thing to the next, he said to me. “I cannot forget Ishmael. He gave me good advice when I was elected. He called me aside and said to me; “Be careful. Everyone who pretends now to be your friend will be the first ones to betray you when you can’t do everything for them.. And watch that drinking. That is not in your best interest.”

    Not long ago I was sitting with Dave, his son not too far from the Gazebo by the Administration building. I suggested to him “Why don’t you set up a Foundation for the Levenstone family. Get  some money and fix up the old shop by the house and have it as a meeting place and collect an archive on the history of the Levenstone family and get the government to name the Gazebo after Ishmael as it on the same street  named the Mathew Levenstone street.

   And just a bit more before I end. Just before he became critically ill I heard someone blowing a car horn in the road by my house. I went out to see who it was. Pedro his son had brought him as he wanted to see me. His main message to me was “There are only two of we you know. “

    Recently, and to demonstrate how the world turns in small societies. Dave was here by me  and we were sitting on the porch talking. I told him; “I see where you planning a family reunion of the Mathew Levenstone clan. Now remember that lil white girl who passed here in a stroller with her grandmother and waved to me. She is the great, great granddaughter of Mathew Levenstone and she is my great, great niece. So remember that she has to be included in any family reunion. “He looked shocked and admitted that he did not think of that. But so it is.

     End of story.